Flora
New Zealand Flora — Lush and Diverse
New
Zealand’s high rainfall and many
sunshine hours give the country a lush
and diverse flora — with 80 percent
of the trees, ferns, and flowering plants
being native. From the kauri forests of
the far north to the mountain beech forests
and alpine tussock of the Southern Alps,
you’ll find fascinating plants and
trees in every region. You’ll be
awed by the majestic evergreen native
forests that include rimu, totara, many
varieties of beech, and the largest native
tree of them all, the giant kauri. Underneath
the trees you’ll find a dense and
luxurious undergrowth including countless
native shrubs, a variety of ferns, and
many mosses and lichens.
Splashes
of Colour
The yellow flowers of the kowhai tree
are some of the prettiest you’ll
ever see, and if you visit the North
Island, you won’t be far from the
beautiful pohutukawa tree. Its bright
red flowers bloom in December, giving
it the title of New Zealand’s Christmas
tree.
New
Zealand’s most famous tree is a
kauri called Tane Mahuta. Named after
the Maori god of the forests, Tane Mahuta
stands over 51 metres high, has a girth
of over 13 metres, and is believed to
be over 2000 years old.
National
Parks
Over 20 percent of New Zealand is covered
in national parks, forest areas and
reserves. Our 14 national parks contain
an incredible variety of unspoiled landscape
and vegetation. Administered and maintained
by the Department of Conservation Te
Papa Atawhai, these parks provide opportunity
for a wide variety of activities including
hiking, mountain biking, skiing and
snowboarding, kayaking and trout fishing.
Most national parks have excellent hiking
tracks and camping facilities, including
nearly 1000 huts throughout the country.
You’ll also find information centres
at these parks, and helpful signage
along the tracks.
World
Heritage Areas
The New Zealand mainland has two World
Heritage Areas — Tongariro in the
Central North Island and Te Wahipounamu
in the south-west of the South Island.
Te Wahipounamu is made up of four national
parks — Westland/Tai Poutini, Mount
Aspiring, Aoraki/Mount Cook and Fiordland.
The area also contains the Milford and
Routeburn tracks, two of New Zealand’s
most spectacular walks, as well as Mount
Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain,
and spectacular glaciers. Tongariro
is situated on the North Island’s
volcanic plateau, and contains the active
volcanoes Mount Tongariro, Ruapehu,
and the cone-shaped Ngauruhoe. The area
is of special cultural significance
to Maori, and also contains Lake Taupo,
New Zealand’s largest lake.
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